


Floating

by shell



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-02-13
Updated: 2005-02-13
Packaged: 2017-10-02 05:30:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shell/pseuds/shell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teyla, early days in the city.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Floating

**Author's Note:**

> Beta thanks to Panisdead.

"Teyla, you've got to come down here!"

Major Sheppard's voice startled me--I was unused to the coms, and found it difficult to read emotions from disembodied voices. He sounded agitated.

"What is it, Major?" I asked. "Is everything all right?"

It had only been a few short weeks since my people joined forces with this strange, powerful group of explorers, the Ancients' apparent heirs. Their naïve self-assurance would surely fade in the face of continued Wraith cullings, yet one could not help be infected by their confidence, especially here in this great city. I only hoped that confidence would be a strength rather than a weakness for the Wraith to exploit.

"Just get down here," Major Sheppard said. Perhaps he was merely excited by some new discovery. Of course, new discoveries often meant new dangers, as I had tried to remind him more than once. "We're over in sector 59, past that lab Carson found last week, remember?"

"I can find it--I will be there shortly," I replied, collecting my staff.

Even using one of the vehicles they had discovered, the ones the major referred to as "golf carts," it took me many moments to arrive at sector 59. I called to Major Sheppard several times, but he did not answer. As I left the cart and made my way down the corridor, I could hear shouts, echoing strangely, and other sounds--the sounds of water meeting flesh. Grasping my staff more tightly, I began to run.

The noises were coming from a side corridor. I rounded the corner quickly, staff at the ready, and entered a large, open space, partially shaded by the upper levels, but open to the sky and sea further out. At first I was unsure what I was seeing, as it was so alien to my experience, and I stopped, confused, still gripping my staff tightly, ready to do combat with . . . what?

The sea was indeed there, beyond a balcony, but a vast expanse of water lay before that, steaming gently. And people--many people, in various stages of undress--were in the water. They did not seem to be bathing. Dr. Weir was closest to me. She lay on her back in the water, her eyes closed, a smile on her face. Dr. Zelenka, Dr. Beckett, and a few other scientists were in a shallow area to my left, tossing a disc back and forth--I had seen them playing with this disc once before; I believe they called it a frisbee. Major Sheppard and Dr. McKay were propelling themselves through the water with great speed; they appeared to be racing somehow. Out by the balcony, Lieutenant Ford vaulted out of the water, climbed up on the railing, then propelled himself back in, turning a somersault in mid-air. His whoop of joy echoed across the room. Some of the other soldiers were visible behind him, laying on the platform, clad only in their undergarments.

The room was full of a happy activity I felt completely unable to interpret. I'm not sure how long I stood there, staring, before Dr. Weir opened her eyes and looked up at me from her position in the water.

"Teyla? Is something wrong?" she asked, gracefully moving herself closer to me, although I could not tell how.

"I am sorry, Dr. Weir--I am fine, but what are you all doing?"

She looked puzzled. "Do the Athosians not swim, then?"

I shook my head, at a loss. "Swim? If you mean immersing ourselves in water such as this, no, we do not. Except for bathing, of course." Bathing, cleaning, and drinking--was that not what water was for?

Major Sheppard, having apparently won his race with Dr. McKay, made his way closer. "Teyla, good, you found us. Come on in, the water's fine!"

"I believe I will stay here, Major," I replied.

"The Athosians don't swim, John," Dr. Weir said, pushing herself up and out of the water to join me.

"They don't? Why not, Teyla?"

"I--I do not think it ever would have occurred to us to try, Major. Are there not predators in the waters on Earth? Do you not fear drowning?" I could not hide the confusion in my voice.

"Learning to swim helps reduce fear of the water, Teyla," Dr. Weir said gently. "And there are no predators here. The water's warm, and the salinity makes it easy to float. It's nice and shallow at this end. Would you like to try it?"

"Besides which, it's fun," Major Sheppard added, laying back as Dr. Weir had earlier, grinning at me. "I promise we won't let you drown."

Everyone did seem to be enjoying themselves, and there were no obvious threats.

"What do you think, Teyla?" Dr. Weir asked. "You can take it as slow as you like--we'll help you."

"Very well," I said, setting my staff on the ground and removing my outer clothing. Confidence enough to swim, I decided, was definitely a strength. I walked cautiously down the steps until I was submerged to my waist. Dr. Weir propelled herself off the edge and back into the water, more gracefully than Lieutenant Ford, but with some of the same joy. She surfaced with a smile and took my hand.

Minutes later, I floated, boneless and relaxed, in the warm water, Dr. Weir's hand just touching the back of my head. "You're doing wonderfully, Teyla," she said. "How do you feel?"

"It is. . . surprisingly pleasant," I answered without opening my eyes.

"You know, it's probably a good idea for you to learn to swim," Major Sheppard said. He was somewhere on my right; I did not bother to look for him. "We're probably going to want to build some boats and do some fishing, and you never know where the gate might send us--I think SG-1's ended up on at least one water world."

"There's time enough for that, John," Dr. Weir said. "For now, floating's good."

"Yes, floating is good," I murmured.

Dr. Weir stayed with me, close, within reach. We floated together.

END


End file.
